Why Country Music Was Great in 2013 (Viral Video)
On Saturday evening (12-21), a writer for Entertainment Weekly named Grady Smith, who recently has become an outspoken advocate for giving independent country musicians equal time, and has been critical about the direction of the male-dominated country music mainstream, posted a video called “Why Country Music Was Awful in 2013“. According to Grady, it was in response to when he posted his 10 Best Country Albums of 2013, naming Jason Isbell, Lindi Ortega, and Sturgill Simpson to the top spots, and readers complained he wasn’t representing the mainstream fairly.
I saw the video from Grady roughly an hour after it was posted, tweeted it out through the official Saving Country Music twitter, and put it as the first item in the News Feed that scrolls off at the top of every page. Nonetheless, as sites both small and large picked up the video and it circulated on social network, I got barraged with messages from anywhere and everywhere wondering if I had seen it. I didn’t respond to any of them, nor did I feel the need to get in on the fun by posting my own dedicated story about the video, because I knew as soon as I saw the video that it would go mega viral and a sense of sheer dread swept over me. Subsequently the video has received nearly 1.5 million views at the time of this post.
Why did a sense of sheer dread sweep over me? Because this is not the type of thing that needs to go viral.
This is not a criticism of Grady Smith. He deserves great credit for making the video, and kudos to him for coming up with the brilliant idea and executing it well. However it took more guts, and deserves more praise for posting his end-of-the-year list on Entertainment Weekly. That is what he should be commended for foremost, and that is what should have gone viral, along with the albums he was recommending with it.
But it didn’t, and they didn’t. Why? Because when you boil it all down, in 2013, the vast majority of people, including many of the people who pride themselves in being active and enlightened country music fans, truly don’t give a shit about “supporting” the music, despite of what they will tell you, or post on social media. This video going viral proves what has been brewing over the last few years, which is that independent country fans, and other country fans otherwise disenfranchised from the mainstream, are many times just as shallow as their mainstream counterparts, finding entertainment in the least common denominator and at the expense of others.
This is the moment when some of you will start laughing, as this statement coming from Saving Country Music is like the pot calling the kettle back. First, I don’t want to diminish whatever effectiveness the video might have at enlightening some folks about the current idiocy of some modern country music. That is why Grady made it; not to entertain the masses that already know this as fact. Grady may have hoped the video would go viral, but rarely do any of us know what button to push to spurn a viral event, or we’d do it on a daily basis.
But why does it take a video like this for a piece of media to go viral? There were many excellent independent country videos this year that great effort was put into that could proselytize the virtues of true music way better than the “Why Country Music Was Awful in 2013” video. As much as Saving Country Music and other sites might love to make fun of the mainstream, the focus should always be on the positive first. But more and more, album reviews, artist features, song and video premiers, and other such wholesome music coverage is virtually ignored for the latest viral craze.
Saving Country Music, like Entertainment Weekly, posted a lot of end-of-year lists touting recommendations based on this calendar year: a songs list, albums list, video list, etc. But by far the list that got the most attention was are list of the Worst Songs of the Year. That particular list got twice as much traffic as all the other lists combined. It went viral in its own right. Criticism is an important, if not vital part of the spectrum of coverage that ensures a healthy artistic environment. But it can’t be the focus, either by the media, or by the fans. Most of the time, the media does their job. Music journalists got into the business because they love music. But it’s still a business, and they must meet the demands fans are requesting in coverage.
What I’m getting at here is that if similar attention was paid to one video, or one song, or one artist from the top of Grady Smith’s Best Of list instead of this viral video, then today we may be touting Jason Isbell, Lindi Ortega, or Sturgill Simpson straight up busting into the mainstream and making an historic racket for an independent artist, and incidentally, if it was a video or song from one of these artists’ songs, it would have made them a decent amount of money as well. But instead what is the end result of this viral video? We’re all simply assured of what we’d known before about mainstream male music in 2013, while the mainstream fans that listen to this drivel laugh us off as Prius-driving elitists.
And most importantly, I don’t think country music in 2013 was awful, and you don’t have to go any farther than Jason Isbell, Lindi Ortega, or Sturgill Simpson to see why. I think 2013 in country was amazingly positive, inspiringly positive, and I mean that. In the nearly 7 years of running this site, this was the year when I felt a dent was finally made in the pursuit of Saving Country Music.
So I made this video below to illustrate this. Will it go as viral as “Why Country Music Was Awful In 2013”? Of course not. So let’s all as music fans, journalists, advocates, activists, and artists sit back and think about what that really means, and see if in 2014 we can’t make sure to keep our priorities more in focus. I for one vow to.
December 24, 2013 @ 3:52 pm
Amen.
I’m relieved you’re speaking your mind about this, because honestly when I viewed the Granger Smith video, I felt divided. His points are well-taken overall, as well as well-executed…………yet I feel ultimately he succumbed to a similar myopia the likes of Tom Petty, for instance, suffered while making otherwise noteworthy remarks on the state of modern country music.
For instance, if you were a female artist this year and you’re concerned primarily with artistic quality as opposed to commercial returns, 2013 was a GREAT year for the genre. 2013, in my opinion, was also a fabulous year for the Texas country music scene, and perhaps East Nashville as well. It’s only when you look at what’s saturating mainstream airwaves, or the broader trend towards oligopoly and how it is contributing to the monogenre, that 2013 can understandably be viewed as a historically depressing year for country music.
It’s all about perspective, and context. I’d characterize my reactions to developments and milestone moments in the genre this year as manic, in all honesty. Some triumphant highs as well as shattering lows. But while I acknowledge Smith’s displeasure and malaise, and he obviously has a richer understanding of country releases beyond what impacted the airwaves as evidenced by his year-end list, I still feel he comes across as dismissive with all due respect.
December 24, 2013 @ 3:55 pm
In contrast, I would characterize the likes of Taste of Country and Roughstock’s depictions of country (often “country”) in 2013 as panglossian to the point of parody………as much as I do respect they’re appealing to a different core listening demographic anyway.
December 24, 2013 @ 3:55 pm
I thought Grady’s video should have been titled “Why Mainstream Country Sucked In 2013.” If all country sucked in 2013, I don’t know what to call the music that I liked…such as Sturgill Simpson.
December 24, 2013 @ 3:58 pm
Or “Exposing ‘Bro-Country’: The 2012-2013 Trend That Needs To Die” 😉
December 24, 2013 @ 4:12 pm
Interesting commentary. I enjoyed the video as well. Did not see the video for discussion. I had no interest to see it before and even less now.
December 24, 2013 @ 4:51 pm
That video isn’t really of any use to anyone who visits this site. By now we’ve all come to realize what the video has to say. It does have value for those who don’t yet see what’s wrong with mainstream country music today. Sometimes a negative argument can be very effective.
I’m guilty of passing this video along to friends who I think should hear the message. I guess I’ve helped it go viral. I think I had to realize that there was a problem with the mainstream country I was listening to before I made the effort to find the music I listen to today.
I suppose I realize going negative comes with the lowest common denominator element to it, but I saw the video as a tool for making my argument for better music. After reading this I kind of wish I had the self-restraint to hold it down to sharing all the good music that’s out there.
December 24, 2013 @ 9:58 pm
Mark,
I don’t think that anyone should feel “guilty” for passing along the video. I passed along the video myself, and am helping to pass it along with this post. I agree a negative argument can be very effective, and I think this video could illustrate for some why people hold the opinion that this music is “bad.” My concerns really aren’t with the video itself. I think Grady did an excellent job with it. I’m just wondering why we all, myself included, engaged and shared this video to a greater degree than any other type of media in 2013, and arguably, more than anything in the last few years? It’s partly because it touched a nerve, but I think we could convert more people to the better side of music if it was, let’s say, a video of Sturgill Simpson playing a song. However that never seems to happen in country. It happens all the time in pop, and artists careers are launched from it.
December 25, 2013 @ 8:58 am
I agree with most of the points raised, especially that it would be great if the more traditional artists got the viral exposure. That said, I do see value in the video. You don’t start an intervention for an alcoholic by launching into how great sobriety is. You start by saying “dude you’ve missed 20 days of work in the last month, you didn’t show up to your kid’s graduation, and you’re living in filth. Now let’s get your act together man.” You’ve got to demonstrate the problem. I think it’s easy to underestimate the number of “casual mainstream country listeners” that may not even realize there’s a problem. This video may be just the shock to the system they need, that can be the launching pad to the real country music with heart. I know for me, this very blog opened my eyes in many ways and introduced me to many of the artists we’re hoping will eventually gain more popularity over the drivel. I wouldn’t discount the value of the video in kickstarting others’ journey to finding the country music that is much more real.
December 25, 2013 @ 10:34 am
It’s going to be interesting to see how this video is seen with the long view, in a few weeks or months when we can have a little more insight on just what its impact was. It’s a little unfortunate it’s being bisected by Christmas, but it still got another 150,00+ hits since I posted this, so it still may have some more legs.
December 25, 2013 @ 9:42 pm
One reason I think that a country artist can never seem to get that breakout viral video is because generally speaking the country music fan/consumer is less plugged into the whole digital world. Look at the percentage of album sales from major selling country artists that come digitally and it is way below that of pop acts and that is even true of younger skewing acts like Luke Bryan and FGL.
Also, when you think of these viral videos they almost always are driven by teenage and young adult crowds and that is just not the country audience. Someone who would appreciate Lindi Ortega or Sturgill Simpson is more likely to have a job and a family keeping them busy and not leaving time to devote to internet hijinks. This is obviously a generalization as many who frequent this site run counter to this but I think that is one explanation why it hasn’t happened.
But really we must fight on and keep sharing the good stuff with people.
December 24, 2013 @ 6:31 pm
I know I shouldn’t read youtube comments, but it’s depressing to see people who are clearly totally ignorant about country music commenting about how country has always sucked and so it’s no surprise it sucks now. That video was made for country fans, not to confirm some preconceived notion about how all country music is for dumb hicks. That’s what’s really a bummer about it going viral – it’s supposed to be an internal conversation, rejectors need not apply.
But I also agree with all of your comments as well. I think the video itself is solid, but it is provocatively titled.
December 24, 2013 @ 10:04 pm
Yes, I didn’t think about this unintended consequence until reading the comments myself. We have to understand that 99% of people have no idea who Strugill Simpson, or Lindi Ortega is, and and just a slight few more know about Jason Isbell. The music played on the radio, seen on big award shows, and represented in viral videos like this is what represents what country is to the rest of the population. That is why I think it is important to fight for the quality of these things as well.
December 26, 2013 @ 11:05 am
I feel you pain man. One of my friends posted Smith’s video to Facebook and said “death to country music.” I had to comment and said, “No, death to mainstream country music.” It’s comments like this one that reinforce a lot of the YouTube comments people made about how country music has always sucked and here’s more proof. It’s frustrating and I wish the video were titled differently.
On another note, thanks for posting this video Trig. I shared it right away on Facebook and through e-mail with a lot of friends. I hope it will get more views and maybe draw some people to the artists you included in the video.
December 24, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
Who the fuck drives a Prius?
December 24, 2013 @ 8:34 pm
I actually think 2013 was a great year for music. Jason Isbell, Lindi Ortega, Sturgill Simpson, Lucero, Drag The River, John Moreland, Matt Woods.
December 24, 2013 @ 10:06 pm
I would have loved to see the Matt Woods’ “Deadman’s Blues” video go viral. And in some respects, it did. But think about if it was THAT video getting 1 1/2 million hits in 4 days? It would have added a whole new element to the country music landscape.
December 24, 2013 @ 11:10 pm
“This video going viral proves what has been brewing over the last few years, which is that independent country fans, and other country fans otherwise disenfranchised from the mainstream, are many times just as shallow as their mainstream counterparts, finding entertainment in the least common denominator and at the expense of others.”
I think you should write more in depth on this quote, but from a musicians standpoint.
I may be jaded ’cause I’m a musician that was raised in Nashville, but Music Row has always been a clique. And the groups that sprout up now are just as closed minded and clique-ish… The AMA, East Nashville, Muddy Roots, etc etc…
December 25, 2013 @ 1:07 am
I’ve been wanting to write something more in-depth about this for a while, and hopefully I will get the time to soon.
But I agree. Basically most independent music right now is broken down into cliques. Muddy Roots is a clique, Ameripolitan is a clique, the “Outlaw” thing is a clique, and on and on. And all that most of the fans of these cliques want to hear about is the music and artists they already know. They generally don’t want to learn about anything new, they simply want their opinions reinforced by media and other fans. And if their opinions aren’t reinforced by media, that media is labeled a sellout. Or if a band leaves the clique, the band is labeled a sellout. These cliques offer rabid support around their favorite artists, but they’re so small, these bands really aren’t able to grow or make a sustainable living in music without leaving the clique, making for an unsustainable music model.
I try every day to broaden people’s musical perspectives, but it is becoming harder and harder with the tribal mentality of independent fans. To me, this trend is just as troubling as all popular music coalescing into one big mono-genre. That is why the mono-grenre and micro-genre theories are tied at the hip, because they’re basically the same phenomenon just happening in different directions, fueled by narrowing perspective.
December 25, 2013 @ 2:41 am
Being a hard rock/metal guy from way back, the clique mentality is familiar to me. You can’t like the hair bands and the thrash bands simultaneously, you’ve got to pick a side and stay true to that.
I never subscribed to that mentality. I can equally enjoy Metallica and Bon Jovi, Megadeth and Cinderella, Anthrax and Poison. To me, they were never mutually exclusive.
Musical elitism of sub-genres can kill a whole genre faster than the general public. (But not faster than the record execs.)
December 24, 2013 @ 11:42 pm
I shared the video with my small circle. Only because some of us in that circle had been having discussions about this very thing. The video very succinctly said what we were all, to varying degrees, trying to say. And, it was pretty damned funny.
I’m not a country purist or traditionalist. In fact I actively eschewed country music during my high school and college days. In the past several years, I have gotten back into it, but still listen to a wide array of music. Lately my quest has been to find new, good music, which has led me to more of the underground artists, both in country and rock (80’s style hard rock, so sue so me).
That is why I read blogs like this, to find the under-rated, more obscure stuff that is not easily found. About to find some Sturgill Simpson, Lindi Ortega and Matt Woods to listen to right now.
Personally, 2013 was a great year in music for me. Found a lot of new stuff that I really enjoy. Posted some on my own blog with a readership of around 3. Yeah, that’s right 3. My wife, my sister and some random dude from Amarillo as best I can tell.
December 25, 2013 @ 12:55 am
Hey, if a piece of music resonates with you, and you share that with someone and it resonates with them, then you deserve a pat on the back. Not everybody can operate a full-time music site or have the exposure a site like Entertainment Weekly can afford. But if we all do what we can, things can change.
December 25, 2013 @ 1:22 am
You know, since the turn of the century, I would dare argue 2013 has been one of the better years overall for popular music.
The start of the century was a mixed bag. David Gray’s “White Ladder”, the self-titled debut album from Gorillaz, Daft Punk’s “Discovery” and System Of A Down’s “Toxicity” all making for compelling listens that all enjoyed various levels of success and influence, along with the debuts of Alicia Keys and Nelly Furtado and the soundtrack to “O’ Brother, Where Art Thou” ended at #10 on the Year-End Top Selling Albums list……………..but then you also had insufferable output from countless disposable “post-grunge” acts like Staind, Creed, Puddle of Mudd and Linkin Park, the rise of Limp Bizkit and Korn, depressing efforts from veteran acts that underscored how they were shadows of their former selves (Aerosmith’s “Just Push Play”, Depeche Mode’s “Exciter” and Elton John’s “Songs From the West Coast” to name several) and some real stinkers congesting the 2001 Top Selling Albums list (Michael Jackson’s bloated and calculated comeback album “Invincible” at #1 should be no surprise, but Shaggy’s “Hot Shot” at #2? REALLY?!!! Staind’s “Break The Cycle” at #5? REALLY?!!! Creed’s “Weathered” at #9? No surprise, but still………ugghhhhh)
All the way through probably 2011, I just felt grave malaise as to much of what I was hearing. In 2003, I will admit I felt my heart leap when the British rock band The Darkness became a cult sensation and I had faith they would help resuscitate rock and roll at the time, but their sophomore album tanked commercially and they broke up shortly afterwards for a long while. Outkast were a breath of fresh air in the mid-00’s amidst a Rhythmic landscape otherwise sorely lacking personality and energy. And the Red Hot Chili Peppers released what I consider to be their best album (“By The Way”) during the mid-part of the decade. But by the time the likes of Franz Ferdinand failed to break out in the mid-00’s while weak-sauce, interchangeable rap, Rhythmic acts and………….Nickelback………..were dominating the charts throughout the remainder of the decade up through the club boom at the end of the decade, I couldn’t care less about the charts. I was utterly indifferent.
*
Then, by the time the club boom started to recede in mid-2011, I have to say it has become rather interesting, even fun, to watch the charts. Granted you still have insufferable brag-rapping contaminating the Urban format, rock radio in a pitfall of irrelevance and the constant appearance of artists that get on my nerves like will.i.am, Chris Brown, One Direction and Jason Derulo……………but who would have thought in the same year the chart would consist of a triumphant Daft Punk comeback, the dominance of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, a decent debut replete with minimalism in the form of Lorde, The Lumineers and fun. topping the Pop Airplay chart and a notable spotlight being shed on gifted female vocalists including Ellie Goulding and Florence Welch?
And while there is a lot of absolutely toxic brag-rap on Rhythmic and Urban radio presently, there were nonetheless an above-average number of both quality mainstream-sensible rap and Rhythmic albums this year that had something to say including Miguel’s “Kaleidoscope Dream” and A$AP Rocky’s “Long. Live. A$AP”: something I couldn’t say for most other years this past decade. There’s more depth to the production and some refreshing 70’s soul throwbacks I sense. Return efforts were also above-average this year from Beyonce, Eminem, Pearl Jam, Queens Of The Stone Age, Megadeth and David Bowie: among others who surpassed my expectations for each of them in refusing to sound washed up.
2013 has a lot of fatal flaws unquestionably, including but not limited to the “bro-country” epidemic………….but it has been one of the better years this century in my opinion.
December 25, 2013 @ 9:24 am
About the viral video: Grady uses examples from several artists who I actually don’t mind, and it has nothing to do with whether or not they’re good “country” artists. Using snippets from David Nail’s “Whatever She’s Got” and Brett Eldredge’s “Don’t Ya” doesn’t really attack the source of the problem, imo. While both are undeniably pop artists, they’re not trying to tell us that they’re country artists, either. For instance, I’ve never heard the word “country” in any of their songs, which is an awful Jake Owen/Jason Aldean/Luke Bryan/Blake Shelton trope right now. Part of the reason I like Brett Eldredge’s debut album is because I don’t really hear any of the lyrical tropes of bro-country in any of the songs, and while some of the songs were casual upbeat fare in today’s market (I honestly don’t care for either of his singles), I think he was just trying to balance it out, a bit. The guy is a fantastic songwriter, though I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s better with serious songs. “Raymond” is about a real experience he had. “Signs” is a great song he wrote with Bill Anderson. He also wrote the emotional juggernaut “I Think I’ve Had Enough” from Gary Allan’s Get Off on the Pain album. Either way, I don’t mind the poppier artists as long as they know that they’re pop artists and don’t try to tell me, otherwise.
As for David Nail, I’ve never heard any of the modern bullshit in his lyrics, either, and while “Whatever She’s Got” is easily his weakest single, to date, I’m just glad that a fantastic vocalist is getting some attention.
Now, to clarify, the rest of Grady’s video is spot on, in my book. And Trigger’s reply is good to pair with it.
December 25, 2013 @ 10:50 am
Lovely video, Trig. 🙂
Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be any getting around the fact that negativity is just easier to spread. When Mr. Smith posted his Best Country Albums list on EW, he was mostly greeted with comments of “boring,” “depressing,” “not real country,” “never heard of this stuff / who cares?” and “what’s wrong with fun?” But when he put together that video and posted it, the comments were more a mix of “right on” and “what the hell do YOU know?”
Granted, I thought his video was funny enough to share with a friend of mine; but through the rest of the year I haven’t shied away from sharing songs I’ve liked (such as Valerie June’s “You Can’t Be Told,” Miranda Lambert’s “All Kinds of Kinds,” etc.) or mentioning albums (such as Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison’s ‘Cheater’s Game’) that have really captured my attention, either.
December 25, 2013 @ 1:38 pm
I posted that video on a forum that I frequent, I also posted Triggers video from this entry as well and all year I have been posting country videos and songs that are good and that I like. I think 2013 has been a really interesting year in country music. It was the Year of the Woman, but it was also the year where hardly any female artists made it on the charts. It was the Year of the Songwriter, but it was also the Year of Bro-Country and all of its lyrical cliches. It’s been a great year, and it’s been an awful year all rolled into one, but you have to look at it from all angles and aspects to properly appreciate the year
December 25, 2013 @ 5:15 pm
Great video, thanks for making this!
December 25, 2013 @ 8:54 pm
Great Video, Great post!…but I still think uncle Toby speaks outta both sides of his mouth. What he says and what he profits from seems to be called by who is listening. Hypocritical Oath?
December 25, 2013 @ 11:14 pm
THAT’s MY ‘PINION…and I’am sssstickin’ too it!…anybody don’t like it can stick it up their B’ Donkey Butts…!
December 26, 2013 @ 6:22 am
Nice article in the Washington Post today on Kellie Pickler spending Christmas in Afghanistan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/war-zones/kellie-pickler-serenades-the-troops-in-afghanistan/2013/12/25/3a461e0a-6d96-11e3-aecc-85cb037b7236_story.html
December 26, 2013 @ 8:46 am
This is really true Trigger. Sadly it is true in my case as well. Although I do believe you do a pretty good job in polarizing new and up and coming artist. It is unfortunate that Hank 3 did not take the lead in assisting you in this, especially when we consider that he was the inspiration behind the creation of this site. Hank3 seems to command a loyalty in his fans that few artist have ever been able to do. If anyone would be successful at encouraging people to check out other musicians, it would be him. I tell you I did not know anything about Wayne Hancock or Leroy Troy until he befriended them. Now I am a fan of both. It is unfortunate that he seem to shy away from that responsibility.
December 26, 2013 @ 12:00 pm
What a great video. I was totally in synced.. tuned in… loving it and then when LeAnn’s voice came on… tears filled my eyes. No lie. Thank you for including that.
The power of a beautiful lyric and voice. I’m a Patsy Cline fan. Her music rolls daily in my life. LeAnn did an excellent performance of her music. As the record states, she is a true genuine fan of her. A song like “Sweet Dreams”… I just close my eyes and listen.
I like hopeful stories like this one you wrote. I like the positivity of progress and moving forward. I’m a music lover up and down but country will always be my soul and core. I like small pieces of current mainstream country and big masses of everything else. I’m the dreamer who believes there should be room for all. I think music today (radio hits, charted songs) is created, marketed and sold to a certain demographic but I also believe that the 18 year old wild one isn’t ignorant to just one certain “cool” sound. I was 18 once. I listened to EVERYTHING mainstream in 1998 and years before that. But I also was couldn’t live without my Loretta Lynn and company.
I found Brantley Gilbert on my 14 year old nephew’s iTunes but kept looking and also found Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, George Strait and some other GOLDEN badasses. I’m saying this huge successful “business” of country music doesn’t give enough young folks credit. These people, whomever they are, that run and control mainstream radio stations and whatever other outlets are used to market today’s music… would be surprised to know what folks like and wanna hear. And what some of these young people might do if they heard a song by a Brandy Clark or a Sturgill Simpson. I got out my “mixed” CD’s I made when I was from the ages of 17 – 23. Boy, I had a range. It would go from a Tim McGraw song to Marty Robbins. Haha.
People need to see and hear more of the great ones that had these amazing lights over them in 2013 – all the ones mentioned above. And I don’t think you have to have what a Luke Bryan has to make an impact, to intrigue and make success in country music. Jamey Johnson, to me, has a power in this business and with the music fans and with Nashville. But he’s doing things his way vs what a business feels is the right way to do things.
People have the power to slowly change it or mix it up. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a comin’….
I could never speak ill of any artist in today’s music because I put more focus on what I love vs what I don’t listen to or buy. But it seems it’s not the person, the singer, the successes, the styles, the award shows… it seems it has been the songs. We are music that is suppose to be diverse (some on the outside looking in might go.. eh? Country?), we are suppose to have every level of emotion, every kind of story. We are the backbone to this country and to everyday people – all walks of life. We are sour, happy, mean, loving, inspiring, heartbroken, hard-working, good-time livin’… and so on. I like a good crazy wild song. But there was a time when those fit in and came along so perfectly. When you could have a variety of stuff and then some wild Hank Jr. tune would come blaring in and it sounded so damn good. That seems to be different today.
I believe producers, songwriter’s, etc are more than what they do to make a buck and gain success. There is always a different side that has come out and maybe took a rest but is always there willing. I don’t believe everyone in Nashville is this way but I think most are. (to be more creative, unique.. don’t fit a mold) Encouragement, fan response, viral videos, uplifting stories… trying to show hey but look at these folks too. All these things matter.
I don’t have children of my own but I wouldn’t complain if my daughter wanted to play a Taylor Swift CD. Even though I don’t buy her music, attend her concerts.. I do have respect for her. I would also hand my daughter a Connie Smith or Patty Loveless CD and say… enjoy this too. Oh and a Waylon Jennings CD.
12 Stories – Brandy Clark. My favorite album of 2013 in any genre of music. I want even talk about how damn awesome this record is.
Thanks for posting the video.
And P.S.
For me personally, I miss duets. I miss REAL duets. I miss a man and a woman singing. I miss whole duet records. I miss really awesome live performances. I miss these couples, whether they are married or just friends. I MISS THAT. I watched Garth and Trisha sing their new song. Just them, the voices and his guitar. Won me over. I even miss duets like Jones and Paycheck did. Ahhh, killer. Today we have songs where others artists are “featured” “or “special guests”. Blah.
December 26, 2013 @ 12:10 pm
Oh and my favorite giggle of 2013 –
I was at work and the radio was on in the shop. On a local country music station (Charlotte, NC). A song came on and I turned and looked at my brother and said… “Is that Nickelback?”
I was dead serious.
December 26, 2013 @ 2:42 pm
Bravo for creating this video. I shared on my Facebook page but I’m sure most people won’t watch since the thumbnail photo shows George Strait instead of Florida Georgia Line. Sigh…
December 26, 2013 @ 3:21 pm
I think Grady shouldve added something similar to Triggers video at the end of his video. Highlight both the negative and positive. That way it still would go viral but also showcase people like Isbell, Ashley Monroe, Sturgill simpson etc. Missed opportunity.
December 26, 2013 @ 3:44 pm
Completely agree, tammyswift. You nailed it.
December 26, 2013 @ 3:43 pm
Thank you for commenting on the Grady Smith video and its reception. It certainly went “viral” among my family. I had no idea it had gained wide popularity elsewhere, but then again I don’t do social networking. The video was worth a chuckle, but I don’t like its title. The title is only accurate if you concede the title “country” to be the sole property of Clear Channel, and etcetera. I don’t.
Also, the Youtube comments claiming country music has never been good are just ignorant, plain and simple. I don’t listen to much hip hop, and even actively dislike some of its commercial/mainstream derivations, but I would never claim the entire genre is without value. That’s just absurd. I believe it be a dubious statement about any genre of music, but in the case of country music, I know from experience that it is unfounded.